THE NAVAL STORES INDUSTRY. 33 



gash made by a chisel (Plate IX-5) with a cutting edge in the shape 

 of the arc of a circle. Below the cutting edge is a socket into which 

 the gutter fits. The gutters are 8 inches long and 2 inches wide, and 

 in some cases are provided with five teeth. A gash 0.2 inch deep has 

 been found sufficient to hold the gutters, since the resin soon enters 

 the wound and acts as a cement. 



The pots used are made of glazed earthenware, conical in shape, A.\ 

 inches wide at the top, 3 inches at the bottom, 6 inches high, with a 

 capacity of about 1 quart (1 liter). The cup rests on the ground the 

 first year, and is raised along with the gutter at the beginning of each 

 succeeding year of operation. The upper part of the pot is held in 

 place by the gutter, which projects out and downward, while the 

 base rests on a nail driven into the tree. The top of the cup is never 

 provided with a hole for hanging on a nail. 



CHIPPING. 



Chipping is begun about the first of March and ends the latter part 

 of October. A total of 40 chippings is usually made in one season. 



The chipping tool (abschot) is of two types: One type is a com- 

 bined adz and gouge, the blade hanging at right angles to the handle, 

 its edge shaped like the arc of a circle. In the other type the blade is 

 parallel to the handle, but bent outward so that the cutting edge does 

 not fall within the plane of the handle. 



In using the abschot the workman stands to one side and in front of 

 the face, with the handle between his legs (Plate X) . In removing the 

 chip the blade is inserted at the extreme upper corner of the face and 

 is drawn diagonally toward the workman. Little effort but great 

 skill is required. 



The wood removed in chipping is in the form of shavings, so that the 

 edges of the face are perfectly smooth, allowing the wound to heal 

 rapidly. The face increases in height about 0.6 inch at each chipping. 

 After the face is opened, chipping is repeated every 8 days from 

 March to May, every 5 days from June to the end of August, and 

 every 8 days from September to the middle of October or the first of 

 November. 



After the face has reached the height of a man the abschot is dis- 

 carded for the rasclet. The rasclet (Plate IX-4) has a hook-shaped 

 blade, with its edge at right angles to the long handle, and the chip is 

 removed by a pulling motion. In the case of leaning pines, wooden 

 chips are inserted along the edge of the face to guide the resin toward 

 the pot (Plate XI). 



The dimensions of the faces must conform to the tapping specifica- 

 tion, and frequent inspection is made by government officials to see 

 that these are carried out. Since the wages of the workman consist 

 of half the proceeds from the sale of the resin, he naturally wishes to 

 collect as much resin as possible, and is tempted to increase the size 



